Advocacy support

Helpline

If you are looking for support from the SWRC we recommend that you contact us via our helpline. Here you can speak to a member of our advocacy team who will give you space to discuss your circumstances in more detail. They can then provide you with information about your rights and explore your options for support, either from SWRC or an alternative organisation.

Non-legal representation

In some cases, our advocacy team may be able offer longer term support. For example, if you are looking for:

1)      Help to find a solicitor

If the SWRC legal team are unable to take on your case, or you need urgent help, we may recommend that you seek alternative representation. If you’ve never worked with a solicitor before or you are unsure of how to approach one, our Getting Legal Representation guide can be very helpful. You can look for a solicitor using our Find a Solicitor tool. Here you can find a list of solicitors who have completed the SWRC Approved Domestic Abuse Training. This training aims to introduce solicitors to domestic abuse legislation in Scotland as well as good practice when working with people who have experienced domestic abuse.  You can also find solicitors by visiting the Law Society of Scotland website.

If you have tried the above and are still unable to find anyone to represent you or you require a bit of additional support to contact solicitors, please complete the form below to be considered for advocacy support.

 

2)      Dual and malicious reporting support

The SWRC has received a significant level of contacts from women who have experienced dual and malicious reporting. When we refer to dual and malicious reporting (sometimes referred to as counter allegations), we mean situations where “both parties in a relationship are reported to the police as perpetrators of domestic abuse at the same time. This means that both partners are reported simultaneously as the perpetrator and the victim of domestic abuse” (Brooks & Kyle, 2015). SWRC recognise that dual and malicious reporting does not only happen in cases of domestic abuse, but other forms of gender-based violence, such as stalking. Amongst other things, women accessing our services tell us that being wrongfully labelled a perpetrator has compounded their trauma, impacted their safety, excluded them from support services and subverted their status from victim/survivor to that of the accused in the criminal justice process.

If you have been experienced a dual and malicious report against you and you are looking for more information about your rights and want to be considered for advocacy support, please complete the form below.

 

3)      Help with complaints

You may be considering making a complaint against an organisation such as Police Scotland or Social Services or an educational establishment such as a university or a college because of the way in which they have responded to you as a survivor of gender based violence. You may want more information about the complaints process or some support to submit the complaint itself.

Our advocacy team may be able to offer assistance and if you would like to be considered for this, please complete the form below.

Please contact our Helpline or use our contact form if you would like further information on what our advocacy take on support involves.

Advocacy take on form